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CW - 150
The Civil War 150th Anniversary
Interesting facts, links, and suggested books for each month of the Civil War.
August 1863
This Month's Events
- 3 August. Desertion from the Confederate ranks has reached such huge proportions that President Davis issues an appeal to all absentee soldiers to return to their regiments, promising no punishments will be inflicted. It is estimated that eventually 1 in 8 Confederates and 1 in 10 Union soldiers will desert. The Union could, however, withstand the manpower drain much more than the Confederacy.
- 5 August. Rose O'Neale Greenhow, notorious Confederate spy boards the Confederate blockade runner Phantom; her mission is to cross the Atlantic and convince England to recognize the Confederacy.
- 15 August. Brigadier General Stephen D. Ramseur writes to his sweetheart in Lincolnton about the growing strength of his brigade and about the problem of desertion, much of which he blames on William W. Holden, editor of the Raleigh paper, The North Carolina Standard and opponent of the war. .
Private William E. Wagner, Co. E, 57th Regt., is concerned about the same issue, but from a differing viewpoint. Writing home to Catawba County, he says, "Dear Wife I jest tell you I wouldent Care if the last man would Run away and then I reckon they will quit it [.] I heard this Morne thare 300 Hundred Run a way out of pender's brigate..." and he then goes on to discuss the unfairness of the furlough process. William neither deserted nor got his furlough. He will die 6 months later in a prison camp.
Meanwhile a "peace meeting" is being held in Randolph County, one of many.
- 21 August. Confederate guerillas led by William Quantrill attack the pro-Union town of Lawrence, Kansas, murdering between 185 to 200 men and boys and destroying most of the town.
Among the raiders are the Younger boys and a young man named Jesse James.
- 27 August. Prisoner of war, Lt. Col. William G. Morris writes home to Gaston County from Johnson's Island in Ohio.
- 29 August. The Union Army of the Cumberland begins the Chickamauga Campaign in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia, with one major objective being to capture Chattanooga.
This Month's Fiction
Adult Fiction
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The Last Full Measure by Jeff ShaaraCall Number: FIC SHA
ISBN: 0345404912
Publication Date: 1998-05-19
In the Pulitzer prize-winning classic The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time, an enduring bestseller that has sold more than two million copies. In the bestselling Gods and Generals, Shaara's son, Jeff, brilliantly sustained his father's vision, telling the epic story of the events culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg. Now, Jeff Shaara brings this legendary father-son trilogy to its stunning conclusion in a novel that brings to life the final two years of the Civil War. As The Last Full Measure opens, Gettysburg is past and the war advances to its third brutal year. Battle by staggering battle, Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Lee and Grant--complicated, heroic, deeply troubled men. Full of human passion and the spellbinding truth of history, this is the fitting capstone to a magnificent literary trilogy.
Children's Fiction
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The Perilous Road by William O. Steele; Jean Fritz (Introduction by)Call Number: J STE
ISBN: 9780152052041
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
This is one of Mr. Steele's best books, an engrossing, realistic story of a Tennessee mountain boy who, during the Civil War, comes to realize that war is terrible no matter where one's sympathies lie. Chris Brabson hates Yankees with all his heart because they've stolen from him and his family, leaving them with little food for the winter. They stand for everything that's gone wrong with his world. Then, to Chris's dismay and embarrassment, his older brother, Jethro joins up with the Union as a soldier. A Newberry Honor Award winner. Gr. 4-8.
This Month's Non-Fiction
Adult Nonfiction
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Wild Rose by Ann BlackmanCall Number: 973.786 BLA
ISBN: 1400061180
Publication Date: 2005-06-07
For sheer bravado and style, no woman in the North or South rivaled the Civil War heroine Rose O'Neale Greenhow. Fearless spy for the Confederacy, glittering Washington hostess, legendary beauty and lover, Rose Greenhow risked everything for the cause she valued more than life itself.
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W. W. Holden by Bynum Shaw; Edgar E. FolkCall Number: 975.6041 FOL NCC
ISBN: 0895870258
Publication Date: 1982-12-01
"A stirring examination of the political career, the accomplishments and the blunders of a man who earned power and greatness during his lifetime, but who became one of North Carolina's most infamous characters and the first American governor to be impeached." This biography details his newspaper career and his fight against the Ku Klux Klan which eventually led to his downfall.
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Bloody Dawn by Thomas GoodrichCall Number: 978.1 GOO
ISBN: 0873384423
Publication Date: 1991-12-01
For many, the Civil War was a struggle between North and South; however for the residents of Lawrence, Kansas, the Civil War was a struggle of East and West. In 1856, when John Brown killed five proslavery supporters in Kansas, the Kansas-Missouri border became a center of turmoil. "Jayhawkers" crossed into Missouri to wreak havoc, only to be countered by raids into Kansas. Not until William Quantrill staged his raid of August 21, 1863 on the sleeping town of Lawrence had the raids reached such a fevered pitch. Slaughtering townspeople and burning buildings, Quantrill left behind a near-barren wasteland. Goodrich relates this story of Quantrill and his raid in a dramatic and spellbinding manner. For the residents of Kansas and Missouri, these border wars were their own private hell; there was no gallantry or honor for these participants.
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The Outlaw Youngers - A Confederate Brotherhood by Marley BrantCall Number: 923.4173 Younger BRA
ISBN: 0819186279
Publication Date: 1992-09-11
In this in-depth biography, Brant shows that the Younger brothers--Cole, Bob, John, and Jim--were motivated by commitment, and she sets them firmly in the context of their times, clearly explaining how and why the sons of a prominent western Missouri merchant turned to a life of crime in the years following the Civil War. In the process, she also shows what life on the Missouri-Kansas border was like for those who supported the Confederacy. Brant has carefully crafted a comprehensive and informal account based on the available primary sources and has properly qualified many statements for which definitive proof is lacking. She successfully involves readers in the Youngers' story, making this work especially appealing to a general audience.
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Chickamauga Campaign by Patrick AbbaziaCall Number: 973 .735 A
ISBN: 0831712570
Publication Date: 1988-04-01
The story of Chickamauaga is one of inept blundering On both sides), wasteful bloodshed, and heroic gallantry that made a major impact on the outcome of the war. This account is heavily illustrated.
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Children's Nonfiction
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Jesse James by Barbara SafferCall Number: jB James
ISBN: 0791064999
Publication Date: 2001-10-01
A biography, in the Famous Figures of the American Frontier series, of the Civil War guerilla turned bloody-handed outlaw. Includes actual photos, a chronology, and a glossary.
©Copyright 2015, Gaston County Public Library. All Rights Reserved.
"Chickamauga" in The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe by 
The Last Full Measure by 
The Perilous Road by 
Wild Rose by 
Bloody Dawn by 
The Outlaw Youngers - A Confederate Brotherhood by 
The Civil War in North Carolina : soldiers' and civilians' letters and diaries, 1861-1865: volume 1: the Piedmont by 
Jesse James by